** The giveaway has ended, but be sure to check the Inside Gun Digest Books blog often for more chances to win great Gun Digest books.**

Gun Digest Shooter’s Guide to Handguns will hit the shelves this month, and whether you’re an experienced shooter or new to handguns, if you want to improve your performance shooting a pistol or revolver, this guide will help you do it.

Renowned revolversmith, writer, and self defense trainer Grant Cunningham gives you the facts you need to choose the right handgun for your needs, select ammunition, shoot effectively, and take care of your investment.

Related GunDigest Articles

Here’s your chance to win Gun Digest Shooter’s Guide to Handguns before it even hits the shelves!

Just about any online gun forum will sooner or later have a heated discussion about magazines (or “mags”) and clips. Many people use the two interchangeably, referring to a pistol’s ammunition carrier as a clip. Technically this isn’t correct: a clip is an open device which holds each round of ammunition by its groove, rim, or base, while a magazine is an enclosed device in which the rounds are simply contained by spring pressure. All autoloading pistols available today use magazines, not clips.

To enter the random drawing, just post a comment below answering the following question: How long have you owned a handgun(s) – Are you a seasoned veteran, a new handgun owner, or just considering purchasing your first gun?

Or, as always, you can just say you’d like to win the giveaway.

Entries will be accepted until midnight Tuesday (Nov. 6, 2012) and we’ll announce the winner Wednesday (Nov. 7). Good luck!

GIVEAWAY RULES
One entry per person, please.

Entries accepted until 11:59 pm Central Time Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

Winner will be selected at random and announced Wednesday, November 7, 2012.

Official Rules

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

61 COMMENTS

  6. I’m looking into buying my first gun for both home defense and concealed carry. I have no experience with firearms. Going to take classes, but I would love to have some reading material to go along with it to practice on my own.

    I would like to win this giveaway!

  8. Started using firearms as a child, got my first hand gun about 50 years ago. Still enjoy shooting sports and have passed the sporting ideas to my grandchildren.

    Pass it on is a good motto for gun owners everywhere,
    Rich Lundeen

  15. I am new to owning a handgun, although I have been shooting a variety of them over the past year or so. I own a Ruger 10/22 at the moment.

    Right now I have my eyes on a couple of .22LR’s handguns just to get my feet wet. After that, I am swinging between a Glock 19 Gen4 or a S&W M&P Shield 9mm. It would be my EDC and I am not a big dude by any means. Plus I live in Vegas, so it needs to be something I can conceal easily with shorts/t-shirt.

    I learn something every time I pick one up, and look forward to a lifetime of shooting, learning, and staying protected.

  18. I began shooting/hunting when I was very young, but didn’t hunt anymore after high school. I purchased my first handgun when I was 50 years old — almost 5 years ago. Now I own several, and participate in action shooting sports.

  19. Bought my first handgun four years ago. Started with a Browning Buckmark so I could learn how to shoot a pistol. Then bought a S&W 642 as my carry piece. Still carry it daily. Then got interested in Steel Shoots. Quickly found out that a five shot snubnose was not competitive and bought a 1911. That gun makes steel competition fun! Still learning about handgunning, so not a seasoned veteran yet. 🙂

  21. Learned the 1911 back in the ’60s courtesy of the US Army. Owned a Colt Challenger .22 in the early ’70s. Bought my own 1911 in 2000, then a Walther PPS, then a SIG 229R, then a Ruger LCR. No matter how much I shoot, I’m still learning now almost 70 years old.

  23. Started shooting my Dads handguns (under supervision) at the ripe old age of ten. Bought my first handgun at 15- a .36 caliber copy of a Colt 1851 from Navy Arms. 45 years of handgun shooting, concealed carry since 1990.

    Still learning something new all the time.

  24. I purchased my first pistol, a Ruger Single-Six .22, at age 18. I had to have my mom, who was not at all in favor of me owning a gun, sign for it.

    As I’m now a 50-something gun owner, and active firearms instructor, I suppose I qualify as a seasoned veteran, but will always be a student.

  28. I got seriously interested in shooting in 1981, shooting PPC via the Illinois Police Assn. as an Associate member, joining with several LEO’s and other Associates, traveling west-central Illinois for the next 8-9 years; over time shot Bullseye as well. Over time I’ve had the privelege of shooting alongside Dick Heinie in Macomb, the recently lost Gil Hebard in Macomb and Quincy, and countless others. I’ve had the immense pleasure of going to the Metcalf farm for the initial Masters International with my wife and then 6-month-old son, seeing Jeff Cooper in the crowd; then two years later with the family and the next son, now a Gunner’s Mate in the Navy, and shook Jerry Miculek’s massive hand. We cast almost all our own bullets, loaded our own ammo, and put our time into practice rather than gizmos; it served us well enough. Our now 3 sons ask, “Dad, why don’t you ever put your trophies out?” I reply that I didn’t shoot for trophies, but to better myself in what I enjoyed, and still enjoy: the shooting sports. Defensive, long-range, hunting, plinking, almost anything that involves no running (bum knee) and I’ll give it a try. My round count has dropped from over 50k yearly to ten percent of that, but I enjoy shooting with our sons, by myself, and the rare times I can get my wife to join us. I was blessed with a father-in-law who didn’t let his daughters know one could go out cooking at a park without being at the range until they were in their teens, so my darling is no stranger to guns. Books I have several, if not many; one is Mr. Cunningham’s first work, which has been enlightening. I will add the next to our library soon, and look forward to doing so.
    A final note: I was at the cemetery when Gil Hebard’s urn was being readied for rest. Our kids grew up on the floor of his storefront; Denise, the “front counter girl”, has seen them grow from babes to men. Gil used to bring out a miniature cannon to fire, with its smoke and boom, for our sons’ entertainment. His counter was guarded by a gate with .30 Carbine rounds; he’d hit the “buzzer” if a kid touched a cartridge, making them think they’d been shocked. He was a great and good man, as have been many I have met in the shooting industry. He will be sorely missed by many. Peace, old pal.

  31. I’ve been shooting since I was six years old. Got my first rifle (Remington 512 – used but great) for Christmas at 15. Got my first handgun (a S&W K-22) when in college. On college rifle team. Have competed in bullseye, air pistol silhouette. Have my CCW, and practice SD shooting frequently. Planning to participate in Appleseed soon. I would certainly like to win a copy of the book!

  39. Bought my first handgun 10 years ago when I was 25 and looking back, I was absolutely clueless. I’ve become pretty serious about guns in the years since. I own at least a dozen firearms, carry concealed daily(Glock 19), shoot as much as I can afford to, rifle hunt big game, participate in IDPA, read firearm related material daily, and get professional training a few times a year. Coincidentally, the class I was just looking into last night is a Combat Focus Shooting class at Firearms Academy of Seattle being taught by the writer of this book, Grant Cunningham.

  40. Although not new to guns in general, having grown up hunting with rifles and shotguns, I was new to handguns about 4 years ago when I got my first handgun, a Beretta .40 cal. as a gift from my husband. A couple of years later I bought myself a sweet little Ruger sp101 .357 snubby and then made the decision to pursue my CHL. I was discouraged however, as I could not consistently remain accurate with either gun. Locally taught classes and instructional books didn’t help. I then bought Mr. Cunningham’s first book on revolvers. There, in the middle of the book was the answer to my dilemma! The guns were too big for my hand, and were keeping my shooting hand/arm from being aligned. I took that knowledge, was able compensate with a little inward rotation of my shoulder, and not only saw a huge improvement in my accuracy, I had one of the highest marks in my CHL proficiency class, and was given a private congratulations by my CHL instructor. That would not have happened if not for Mr. Cunningham’s concise, and easy to read/understand book. My copy is now dog eared, with notations written throughout and pages tagged for easy finding of favorite material!
    Although winning his new book would be sweet, just knowing that Mr. Cunningham has written a new book covering not only revolvers, but also SA’s makes me super happy! I know revolvers are his thing, but am so glad he’s including the semi-autos. Can’t wait to see what “ah-ha” moments I’m going to have when I read it! Will be keeping an eye on Amazon for it to become available!

  56. I got my first handgun, a single action revolver in .22lr, as a birthday present from my grandfather when I was 15. My first centerfire handgun, a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44mag, was a Christmas present from my wife when I was 19. I’ve never been without one, and have owned many more in the 15 years since.